Emergency fire-screen.



PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904.

W. M. GONRAN. EMERGENCY PIRE SCREEN.

APPLIOATION FILED un. s, 1904. No MODEL.

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....II- b122222- 1 ECIEIEIDEIEIDDIIIDUEIUE EDEGEM] .UNITED STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 767,870, dated August 16, 1904. Application iled March 5, 1904. Serial No. 196,639. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM 'MAssEY GoN- RAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Emergency Fire Screen, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a fire-screen adapted for the purpose of extinguishing ires and capable of general use, but especially useful in theaters and other buildings in which a stage is employed.

Presuming that the wall carrying the proscenium-,arch is of iireproof construction, my invention is intended to protectthe proscenium-opening of a stage and to effectually and instantaneously eliminate the dang'er of fire passing from the stage to the auditorium, and it is also designed to prevent or modify the effect of gases reaching the audience in the case of an explosion on the stage.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional view of the front part of a stage, showing the fire-screen and rear of the stage in perspective. Fig. 2 is a view of a detail and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the archcovering, showing the position of the conductors for water. l

In the drawings, l represents a stage having a proscenium 2 and an arch 3. sent water-pipes provided with perforations 5 5, which are preferably located along the` walls of the arch and along the iioor. They may extend out from the walls or be flush with their surface. These pipes are supplied by means of a Siamese coupling 6, connected to `a supply-pipe 7, having a stop-cock operated by a lever 8 and a valve 9. It is intended to connect with a main l0, a cut-off valve 11 being provided near the main operated by mechanism 12 from the street, so that the whole device may bewithin the control of the fire department. The walls of the arch are preferably covered with steel 13, which may be protected on one or both sides by asbestos 14,

4 L repre-.

as shown. The footlight-trough 15 is a convenient trough for the reception of the water which may flow down the stage and is provided Q-that is, in staggered relation and from one to two inches apart, with a double row of holes of different sizes, according to the conditions existing. Then the pipes are put under water-pressure, they will discharge, so as to form a double screen of water across the proscenium arch, the water being' thrown through each pipe directly across or vertically to the opposite pipe and every jet throwing to the opposite side in a straight line, thus forming a network of water which will prevent the passage of ame.

The valve 9 is intended to be kept closed except during show time, when pressure is put on the valve operated by the lever 8, so as to give instantoperation in case of iire by operating thelever 8. The service-pipe 7 is in direct communication with the main 10 or otherwater-supplying device, and the cut-off valve ll is provided in order that the fire department may have entire control of the systern after arriving, so that-they can cut off the lire-screen at once, if desired, in order to stop the waste of water or for any other purpose. Either one of the pipes (4 4 may be iiushed out for the purpose of cleaning away any accumulation of dust by slightly opening the valve 9 while the cock 8 is open through a trap on the lower edge of the stand-pipe. (Not shown.) y

This device may be operated automatically, if required, and can be worked from a tank on the roof or a specially-made chemicaltank, where water-pressure is not available. It may also be operated from either side or from both sides, or from any desired point, or even from the outside by means of a wire rope connected through pulleys to the lever 8. This invention may be applied in other places than in theaters, and in case of use in theaters it is intended to be also used on the doors fromthe stage to the auditorium, when they exist.

It will be seen that by the use of this lirescreen the cumbrous and heavy steel 'and iron curtains, whether vertically or horizontally sliding, are done away with. These curtains when vertically lifted weigh from ten to twenty tons, which weight is nearly doubled by the counterweight required, which makes them a dangerous device to keep suspended from the upper walls. They are difficult to work and liable to get out of oider at critical moments. lt is a hard matter to keep them level, and they are exceedingly difficult to make and operate and cannot be rapidly brought into position for protection in ease of iii-e. 'lhey are also a hindrance to fireiigliting, because they cut off all escape through the prosccnium-arch and make an impassable barrier which prevents the passage of the firemen and the lire apparatus through the proscenium-arch.

By the use of my device all these troubles are avoided. Persons may easily pass from one side to the other without hindrance, and the lire department can pass a large stream of water directly through the screen without interfering with its action in any way. If desired, small nozzles may be placed in the perforations 5 in order to direct the stream directl y across the opening'. The spray or random distribution is of no usc in a construction of this kind, and it is better to have the streams go directly across.

lt will be understood that the water-pres-v sure is always intended to be on thev valve 9, and it is only intended to proceed as far as the lever 8 during show time.

This invention is especially valuable for the protection of elevator hatchways, entirely preventing the possibility of flame o'r gas rushing up the shaft. rI he application in this case would be around the hatehway, let into the construction, or attached to the ceiling just under the hatch or on the floor above. Single or double screens may be used, as may be preferred, and the elevators may continue to run while the screen is in operation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A fire-extinguishing device for theaterstages having a plurality of parallel endless perforated vertical conductors, and a supplypipe therefor having a stop-cock and a valve.

2. A fire-extinguishing device for stages comprising a plurality of vertical parallel perforated endless conductors, and a siipply-pipe therefor.

ln testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two su bscribing witnesses..

WILLIAM MASSEY CONRAN.

Witnesses:

S. Y. Lenoir,

C. F. MAXWELL. 

